HEARTH for Health

It’s cold outside – can you feel it slowly freezing your hands, sending you into a fit of shivers? It’s highly likely that you don’t feel the cold. Instead, you’re probably warm and in good health safely at your home. Perhaps you’re snuggled in bed or eating a home-cooked meal.

But what about the homeless? What about those who have lost their homes after a crisis, such as a war or natural disaster? What happens to them?

These questions are what gave rise to the kernal of my idea many years ago. I had envisioned people hired to gather the homeless people I saw on the streets and bring them to a large shelter. In my mind, the shelter had looked like an apartment building. The more unique twist on this idea was that after the homeless got settled in, specialists would work with them to find them jobs so they could become self-reliant. Once the homeless people were ready, they would be able to stand on their own two feet and move out of the shelter. Then, more people could be brought to stay at this shelter to go through the same process.

Now, that original idea has transformed into my very own Design Project.

HEARTH for health.

1. Bio-utilized natural biological bricks

The building will be made with bio-utilized natural bricks that cost either the same as normal bricks or cheaper. These type of bricks are better for the environment in multiple ways: they don't release carbon emissions, they use resources efficiently and they are made of natural, biological materials. This material is also better for the health of the residents as it doesn't contain toxins or radiation like typical bricks and other synthetic building materials.

1. Cost-effective wide solar panels

These will be fitted to the building's large artificial "leaves" made to simulate real tree leaves. The leaves will be programmed to act like a real plant, reacting to the level of sunlight by opening, closing and tilting for best optimization of solar resources.

1. Reinforced doors with strong security

These doors help protect the inhabitants, especially in places recovering from conflict and war. Only the workers and residents are allowed through the doors. New people and visitors go through a tight security process to ensure they are not hostile soldiers trying to jeopardize the sanctuary.

Inside:

1. Energy-efficient and cost-effective appliances and services

These include the washing and drying machines in the shared laundry room, the appliances in the communal kitchen, heaters in the apartments and air conditioning throughout the building. These will all be energy-efficient, ensuring that energy is conserved when not in use. They will also be cost-effective.

1. Donated clothing, toys, household items and more

Donations will be collected, cleaned if needed and checked over before being transferred to a storage room. Then they will be added to a regularly updated inventory. Trained social workers will consult the established criteria before handing out these items to those who need it most.

1. And more!

HEARTH stands for Holistic, Environmental And Rehabilitative Temporary Housing.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a hearth is a brick, stone or concrete area in front of the fireplace or the floor in front of the fireplace. Traditionally, a hearth is the centre of the house and figuratively, it has come to represent family, light, warmth and above all, home. Interestingly, one of the meanings of hearth also listed in the dictionary is “a vital or creative centre”. All these meanings perfectly capture the vision behind HEARTH.

It has grown from just a shelter that actively works to reintegrate the homeless back into society into a broader idea. HEARTH is the design for temporary housing that can easily, effectively and quickly be constructed in areas that have faced crisises, such as country upheaval and devastating earthquakes.

According to Homeless World Cup, 300 million people are homeless worldwise and 2.8 billion people live in inadequate housing. On top of that, the UN Refugee Agency reports that 117.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes globally at the end of June 2025.

HEARTH is very much needed for so many people.

Its goal is to provide a space where people can get private rooms with a bed and access to food and water. Then people will be healed physically, emotionally and mentally. Afterwards, they are then set up to become self-sufficient.

They are given back a feeling of control and sense of purpose through being a part of the rehabilitation process and giving back, whether that’s through the communal kitchen (drawing inspiration from traditional soup kitchens) or partnering with fellow neighbours at the HEARTH to bring their dreams to fruition. As more and more people become equipped for their future outside of the shelter, they'd slowly be able to start rebuilding the area affected by the crisis.

Then HEARTH goes beyond even that.

It’s not only a sustainable design, but it also works to rebuild the environment itself. Its water system purifies water for its charges while simultaneously generating sustainable hydro power and becoming an important resource to cultivate the land around the building.

HEARTH is supposed to be a straightforward, repeatable design that builders can start producing by the dozen into the real world to meet the high demand, whether that’s in war-torn Palestine, devastated Afghanistan or even the homeless central in downtown Vancouver, not too far from where I live.

Designing a space that helps people heal is to consider healing from the start, through architectural and design decisions that keep this in mind at all stages.

Digital tools can help communities rebuild more effectively by providing a low-stakes and a typically free environment to get things right before transferring ideas into the real world. This can save resources and time.

Technology can also support emotional and social recovery, too, when used right. It can be used in the designing and enhancing stages of the design to bring the idea to life.

I used both when creating a HEARTH prototype on Tinkercad.

Temporary housing would be the first space I would design in response to an emergency because people need a place to stay right away. It’s the most urgent of the three primal needs: food, water and shelter. People can go a long time without food, around a month on average, depending on varying factors. However, they can only go three days without water. But when it comes to shelter? People need shelter before night falls. Once people have been settled they can better find ways to reach their other needs.

My design would try to serve as many people as possible, whether that is the traditionally classified homeless, people who have been externally or internally displaced, refugees and even people seeking refuge after domestic abuse. The design can also be modified to serve people with less pressing needs such as immigrants new to a country.

Priority would be given to people with the greatest need. For example, someone with a broken leg would be preferred over someone who is able to stay with a relative. Priority would also be given to those who are most hurt, children, the disabled, women and families.

This space would help someone move forward after a crisis by providing free temporary housing with essentials, such as food, water, medicine, baby products, and then providing means of relocating to more permanent homes, getting new jobs and healing holistically after a crisis.

A space like this is needed more now than ever. The humanitarian example in Palestine is proof of this. People have lost all their homes, have lost everything. People I know have connections there and I've seen how much harm displacement causes people and their loved ones all over the world. I have also read about this topic at length, wishing something like HEARTH existed for them.

I wanted to go with biomimicry for the main design of HEARTH as a nature-oriented building is best suited for healing since it draws directly from the effective and beautiful designs in nature that promote a greater sense of wellbeing and a stronger architectural outlook.

People are also naturally inclined towards nature. It creates an inviting appeal right away that helps people who are suffering from the aftermath of a traumatic crisis. I wanted my design to be simple yet efficient, with a main hub that rooms can branch out of. If people wanted to expand on the initial design to accommodate growing needs in a specific area, then they should also have the ability to do so. For these reasons I chose to model the shelter after a tree.

The foundations of the shelter mimic tree roots, helping to ground the building. These root-like foundations run under the building and draw water from deep underground, which is especially needed in areas affected by droughts or with a general lack of water. The water drawn from underground would then go through a filtration process in the “roots” which would then transport the clean, purified water to the apartments and facilities located in the rest of the building, such as the shared laundry room.

Inside the “trunk” of the tree lies the aforementioned main hub. It acts as a community gathering space with comfortable chairs, wide tables and welcoming lighting. This main room branches off into a communal kitchen and canteen where people can work together to make fresh meals for everyone and a prayer space where people can reconnect. The prayer space will be modelled after a room in an Islamic mosque, with soft carpets, soothing geometric artwork an arched doors.

Beyond that are the “leaves” of the trees. The leaves are wide, providing shade for the vegetable gardens on the grounds of the building. They are also fitted with solar panels that supply clean green energy to the rest of the building.

These different aspects of the tree perfectly align with these purposes of HEARTH.

In the end, I decided on going with the biophillic tree design with a tall, wide capacity that can fit a lot of people, in consideration of the statistics mentioned above.

However, I had first started exploring my idea in relation to the Fibonacci Sequence. The famous mathmatical concept is swirl design you see in sunflowers and elsewhere in nature. In the case of the sunflower, the sequence is the most efficient method to pack the most amount of seeds in the space of the sunflower head. It also uses the Golden Ratio which is one of the most pleasing patterns to the human eye.

The Fibonacci Sequence is also often used in design and architecture, such as for the design of the Shanghai Natural History Museum and the Kew Gardens Treetop Walkway.

For these reasons, I decided to start experimenting with the Fibonacci spiral on Tinkercad.

However, I realized that the spiral may actually be too compact to be the main structural design of HEARTH. There wouldn't be adequate transition space to enter and exit the apartments nor would it have a central point for community gathering.

I considered the pros and cons of basing HEARTH on the Fibonacci spiral. Ultimately, I decided that basing HEARTH on a tree would be more suitable.

A tree is planted on the ground while reaching up to the sky.

A tree is also used for many fields, such as food, clothing, natural resources, building materials and more.

A tree can grow on all the continents, except for Antartica, and evolve to adapt to chanding conditions.

These traits emulate the goal for HEARTH.

The base of the tree actually consists of two parts, the cylindrical base shape and a skeletal framework that encircles the former.

The framework's long, evenly distributed columns reinforce, strengthen and stabilize the structure. The framework is also similar to a bird's nest, another usage of biomimicry.

The arched doorway and beautiful trees lining the pathway provide a welcoming visual to greet people who are no doubt exhausted, traumatised and potentially skeptical of help.

The HEARTH is also strategically placed by a water source, here it is namely a lake.

I extended the shape of the tree shape on Tinkercad to cast welcome shade over the grounds of the shelter and to maximize solar power intake.

1. Natural elements (tree visual, community farm, flower-and-tree lined walkway)
2. Spaces for gathering and connecting (prayer area, community room, community kitchen, community board with events, news, etc)
3. Quiet areas for reflection (the prayer room can also be used for simple relaxation and equanimity, the garden, too)
4. Colors and textures that feel supportive (shades of green, soft carpets in the apartments, Islamic geometric art, pastel gradients, natural textures, biophilic colours and textures)
5. Human-centered design (focuses on the journey of each person, the building mimics how a person moves from stage to stage)
6. Climate resilience (earthquake, flood, fire, bomb and heat wave resilient)
7. Sustainability (green energy, solar/hydro energy, recycling and compost options, minimal waste in the kitchen, reusing old items as donations, insulated walls to retain heat, efficient power and supplies)
8. Community needs (finding lost relatives, getting back on one’s feet, celebrating special holidays, community gathering space, prayer sanctuaries, making people feel proactive instead of helpless, sense of control)
9. Cost and constructability (should be easy to construct quickly with limited resources that are easy to make and fund, digital platform online for fundraising and business managment)
10. How your space supports healing (physical: in-house doctors, places to sleep, proper nutrition, clean and filtered water; mental; personal/family/job counselor, giving back sense of control and peace, overcoming trauma; emotional; calming gardens and prayer spaces, reconnecting with family and community; environmental: starts fixing the land, purifying the air and water, introduces sustainable farming methods)

“Home” is a place where one can rest and recharge. Where one can lay their head down. It is also a feeling of safety, belonging and security. Home is where the people one loves is.

Someone’s idea of home might change after a disaster – they will be more focused on the bare essentials for survival and may have lost all the other indicators of home (safety, security, family, friends, community).

Nature may shape—or reshape—the places they call home, but the building will be built to stay a solid, unchanging anchor that can cope with whatever is thrown at it, giving them a sense of stability again.

HEARTH will also help the homeless learn how to cope themselves.

The shelter will have a doctor's office that can treat physical ailments. It will be stocked with all the essentials that are needed to treat injuries from the displacing disasters and diseases that may have arose from the malnurtrition and pollution - among other factors - that the crisises indirectly cause.

Homeless people with urgent medical needs will be sent to the doctors right away. People with medical needs that require less immediate needs can book appointments and receive regular care.

In the aftermath of displacement, feelings of loss, trauma, hopelessness and desperation are evoked in those who were displaced. Keeping this in mind, at least one psychiatrist and psychologist will also be available to help people move past trauma and heal patients mentally. People with mental obstacles are encouraged to take relaxing walks outside in the shade of building's "leaves" and participate in soothing workshops.

The other aspects of HEARTH in other steps will also be used to heal people emotionally and socially. This holistic approach to healing the homeless treats them as people first and looks to cure the whole person. Healing at the shelter should put the 'HEART' in 'HEARTH'.

After significant crisises, like earthquakes and bombing, the air becomes very polluted. This is detrimental for both the environment and human health. So, other than supplying solar power to the building, the adaptive, mechanical "leaves" of the building also act as air purifiers.

Additionally, the water system that already purifies water from nearby sources and/or water from deep underground, supplies the building with fresh, usable water and generates sustainable hydro power also does something else.

This last feature of the special water system reserves some water for cultivating the land. After crisises, not only do people lose their homes and the air becomes polluted, but the land also gets destroyed. This usually destroys crops and with it, food and income.

The water system seeks to revitalize the land, starting the with the land surrounding the HEARTH. In the ideal scenario, the land around the HEARTH would become a community farm that can become a source of purpose, income and skill acquisition.

The success of the community farm is predicated to have a ripple effect across the area. As the saying goes, "a rising tide floats all boats". Seeds from the produce grown in the community farm, alive soil and reestablished water systems could be used to start new farms across the area affected by the disaster. This would successfully revive the environment.

After the environment is revived, people can start laying the foundations to rebuild permanent homes. Once the land has been nursed back to health, people are able to grow food again. With food, more people are saved from starvation and more job opportunities arise. After that's taken care of, people can start moving forward to regrow the rest of their lives that were shattered by the crisis.

Heal the people. Heal the environment. Heal the disaster zone itself.

Yes, this "And" is a simple article, but it represents a greater principle of HEARTH. It is "Holistic, Environmental And Rehabiliative". Not "or". Not "sometimes". Not "but not". It is "and".

This steps represents that these different disciplines of HEARTH need to work hand-in-hand. For the project to achieve the extent of its potential, it must have all three areas working in harmony.

HEARTH must be holistic, healing those who've lost their homes as whole people, treating them physically, mentally, emotionally and socially.

HEARTH must also be environmental, healing the land affected by the disaster by purifying the air, treating the water and reviving the land.

HEARTH must also be rehabiliative through healing the greater crisis zone, getting people back on their feet, sparking postive change and rebuilding the community.

Everyone will have a chance to book appointments with a vocational therapist who can help assess their skill and education levels in the process of helping them find a job. After assessment, cccupants can start by helping around the shelter, such as tending to the gardens, assisting in the kitchen and monitoring the water system.

Workshops and classes can also be held in the HEARTH from time to time to give people the skills they need to move forward in a range of different ways, such as learning new languages, sewing, repairs and caring for recently disabled family members.

Beyond that, the goal is to get them proper jobs so that they can become self-sufficient. Another unique aspect of HEARTH is that the counselors also consider the dreams and goals of the occupants and, in some cases, where they fit together.

For example, someone may have owned a small business selling handmade clothes before war struck while someone else may have proficient skills in marketing. They can be paired together to restart the business. As the saying goes "feed two birds with one hand".

These money-making passion projects and partnerships can then be entered into the HEARTH's corresponding online program where people can seek investment opportunities and further partnerships. This creates global visibility which aids in getting ideas off of the ground. Homeless people also struggle with feelings of invisibility, so this would also help show them that they can still be heard, assisting the emotional healing process.

There will also be services offered to track down missing family members, friends and reunite relatives. A community board with job listings and community events will also be available as another way to bring the residents together.

Educational opportunities will also be made available. Through HEARTH's online component, children and youth can access needed educational resources in the safety of the shelter while schools get rebuilt.

Each apartment will have the minimum of a bed, chair, closet, small table, a safe locker and other essentials. Apartments will also be able to attach to one another so that couples and families can connect their apartments together to create a bigger shared living space.

Each apartment will have access to clean fresh water. It will also have heating and air conditioning. These HVAC services will be modifiable to adjust for regions that may only need one instead of both.

Families with babies will be given diapers and baby formula. There will also be a storage section of HEARTH with other essential items that can be passed out by the social workers at a case-by-case basis, such as specific donated clothing, toys and chargers.

One problem with typical homeless shelters is a lack of privacy and overcrowed communal living.

HEARTH offers the best of both worlds: a private area for sleeping and a community gathering space for eating. Privacy aids in giving people back their dignity while togetherness fosters connection. One of the best ways to connect with someone is by eating with them, even if no words are said. However, people will also have the option of eating in their apartment.

The temporary housing aims to be comfortable without being costly, taking it many different needs at once.

1. The Merriam-Webster dictionary for the different definitions of hearth
2. Tinkercad for the creation of the HEARTH prototype
3. Free AI Photo Enhancer for the two enhanced images of the prototype design
4. Nature does it better: Biomimicry in architecture and engineering, an Autodesk article for inspiration, terminologies and the photo of the bioMASON brick
5. Magic Media on Canva to generate rendered images of HEARTH along with added Canva text for some pictures
6. Creative Calculations: 6 Precise Projects Inspired by the Fibonacci Sequence, an article about the Fibonacci Sequence and architecture as well as the photo of the Shanghai Natural History Museum: https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/collections/architecture-fibonacci-sequence/
7. Google for researching word definitions and synonyms
8. The UN Refugee Agency for the statistic on displaced persons: https://www.unhcr.org/hk/en/about-unhcr/overview/figures-glance
9. The Homeless World Cup website for the statistics on homelessness: https://www.homelessworldcup.org/homelessness-statistics

Holistic, Environmental And Rehabiliative Temporary Housing is a comprehensive, innovative take on temporary housing.

It seeks to solve the problem of displaced people who've lost their homes due to a crisis. It also can be used as refugee and new immigrant centres whether in big cities with a homelessness problem, like Vancouver, or in third-world countries.

It is built from natural and cost-effective materials with the intentions of many being built quickly around the world in response to disasters.

It offers properly supplied apartments and well-run community spaces that fuse together privacy and togetherness.

The tree-inspired biophillic building is powered both with solar and hydro green energy while revitalizing the environment through the air, water and land.

The shelter approaches the needs of its residents in a holistic way, with facilties and programs to heal inhabitants physically, mentally, emotionally and socially.

The vision of HEARTH extends beyond this to imagine how its services can help people become contributing members of society that are well-equipped to stand on their own two feet, support their families and rebuild the crisis zone.

Let HEARTH warm the hands and chase away the shivers. Let HEARTH protect from the cold, providing a place to snuggle into bed and a place to have a cooked meal. But HEARTH is more than just a place. Let it warm the heart, shining a light in the seeming darkness following a displacing disaster.

May HEARTH be a source of family, light and warmth, and above all, become a home for the homeless.

HEARTH for Health: Putting the Heart in Hearth.